Rem Koolhaas will design new high-end megastore in Kuwait

Ten years after erecting Kuwait’s Villa Moda emporium, the 100,000 square-foot retail destination that helped establish the region’s station in the fashion world, Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah is planning the 86,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall, scheduled to open in 2014 inside Kuwait City’s 360° Mall.

Like the glass cube that is Villa Moda, the new department store will consist of transparent facades, punctuated by circular cutouts to let in natural light. Unlike the average high-end mall, however, its design and programming will pay homage to its surroundings: Corridor-shaped shops reflect “the geometry of the Middle East,” WWD reported, with a special push towards spotlighting homegrown talents.